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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Invest in Teachers Award

This article describes LEARN NC's Invest in Teachers Award, with links to an application and information about deadlines.

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Invest in Teachers Award

Since 2009, North Carolina e-Learning for Educators has made nearly $300,000 in matching-funds awards to North Carolina schools to use for online professional development. More than 1,000 teachers from rural and urban LEAs, elementary schools, middle schools, and a four-county education partnership in North Carolina benefited from this award program.

For the 2011-2012 school year, we will again aid educator development in North Carolina with the Invest in Teachers Award. The Invest in Teachers Award will make awards for online professional development ranging from $2,500 to $50,000, accompanied by a matching amount from the schools, so teachers will still receive the training and support they need to help their students succeed in the classroom and in life.

This page lists the details of the award’s requirements and the application process. Before applying, be sure to check out our frequently asked questions about the award, as well as our list of helpful application tips.

Award requirements

  • Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis until April 11, 2011 at 5 p.m.
  • Winners are expected to match all awarded funds. For example, if North Carolina e-Learning for Educators awarded $5,000 to a school, that school must contribute $5,000 to claim the award. The school would then have a total of $10,000 to use for North Carolina e-Learning for Educators online professional development.
  • Matching funds must be received by Friday, August 12, 2011.
  • All matching and awarded funds must be used for North Carolina e-Learning for Educators online professional development courses.
  • All purchased seats in North Carolina e-Learning for Educators professional development courses are subject to the course drop policy.
  • All awarded and matching funds must be used by June 30, 2012.

Apply

Please download the application and return it to Ross White by email (ross [at] learnnc.org) or fax (919-962-8940).

Applications must be accompanied by a letter of support. Please download the letter of support form and have your school system’s superintendent complete it. Charter school applications may be accompanied by a letter from the principal.

Application deadline

Applications must be submitted by April 11, 2011. Applicants are responsible for submitting all necessary information to North Carolina e-Learning for Educators in the required format.

Winner notification

North Carolina e-Learning for Educators will notify Invest in Teachers Award winners by May 13.

Award funds may be used until June 30, 2012.

Important dates

  • April 11: Application deadline
  • May 13: Winners will be notified on or before this date
  • August 12: LEARN NC must receive matching funds from winners by this date
  • June 30, 2012: Final day to use 2011 Invest in Teachers Award funds

About North Carolina e-Learning for Educators

North Carolina’s leaders in online professional development have collaborated on a series of courses that will bolster content knowledge and classroom technology integration at an affordable cost, with the convenience and flexibility only possible online.

North Carolina e-Learning for Educators is a partnership between the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, UNC-TV, LEARN NC, The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University College of Education, and the North Carolina Virtual Public School. This program is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Education under Grant No. U286A050018.

For a full list of available courses, please visit www.learnnc.org/courses/.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What is the deadline?
A: April 11, 2011.
Q: I want to sign teachers up for a course that isn’t currently open for enrollment. Can I do so?
A: Yes. Please contact Lesley Richardson to schedule a custom section of the course you wish to schedule.
Q: Can the match come from federal funds?
A: As long as federal funds are eligible for use in professional development, yes, you may use them.
Q: Can an individual teacher win an Invest in Teachers Award?
A: No. All Invest in Teachers Awards will be awarded to North Carolina public schools or LEAs only. Winning schools or districts are responsible for administering the award.
Q: How is this money disbursed? Will my school receive a check?
A: We will set up an Invest in Teachers account for each winning school or LEA for use in North Carolina e-Learning for Educators online courses. This account will include both the award and the matching funds. For example, if a school won a $10,000 award, they would provide a $10,000 match, meaning their Invest in Teachers account would contain $20,000. North Carolina e-Learning for Educators will not send out award money.
Q: If I win an Invest in Teachers Award, how will you keep track of how much of the award funds we’ve used?
A: North Carolina e-Learning for Educators tracks Invest in Teachers enrollments on an ongoing basis. Once per quarter we will send out an enrollment report listing enrollment totals for each course, as well as your current account balance for your records.
Q: What’s the deadline again?
A: April 11, 2011.